Take a Deeper Dive into database searching,
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A database is a searchable repository of journal articles, newspapers, magazines, and other scholarly resources. Google does not have access to much of the credible scholarly information available. Using the databases the PGCC Library subscribes to will give you access to millions of credible scholarly resources.
Databases can be multidisciplinary, such as Academic OneFile or subject specific, such as PsycARTICLES. A database will have both abstract-only summaries (no full-text articles) and full-text articles attached.
The A-Z Database List allows users to find and search individual databases that the library subscribes to.
Users can view all the databases alphabetically, search for a database by title, or use the three drop downs on the A-Z Database List to search for databases by subject, type, or vendor.
Quick Steps to Education databases using PGCC's A-Z Database list:
A peer-reviewed article (aka scholarly article) is written by an expert(s) and then the articles are reviewed or fact-checked by several other experts before the article is published in a scholarly journal. The peer-review process ensures the article’s overall quality.
Peer Review can also refer to articles that have undergone a rigorous review, or fact-checking, process, often including revisions to the original manuscript, by peers in their discipline, before publication in a scholarly journal. This can include empirical studies, review articles, meta-analyses among others.
There are three different types of scholarly articles. Researchers use each article for different research purposes. The most commonly used scholarly article for college assignments is the Research Article.
Research Article - An article reporting on the results of one or more studies or experiments, written by the person(s) who conducted the research. This is considered one type of primary source. Look in the title or abstract for words like study, research, measure, subjects, data, effects, survey, or statistical which might indicate empirical research.
Example: Zehnder, C., & Hunter, M. (2008, February). Effects of nitrogen deposition on the interaction between an aphid and its host plant. Ecological Entomology, 33(1), 24-30.
Literature Review Article - An article summarizing the results of significant studies or experiments, often attempting to identify trends or draw broader conclusions. Although scholarly, it is not considered a primary source or research article, but its references to other articles will include primary sources or research articles.
Example: Parker, M., & Thorslund, M. (2007, April). Health trends in the elderly population: Getting better and getting worse. Gerontologist, 47(2), 150-158.
Theoretical Article - An article containing or referring to a set of new or established abstract principles related to a specific field of knowledge; characteristically it does not contain original empirical research or present experimental data, although it is scholarly.
Example: Gestrich, A. (2006, August). The public sphere and the Habermas debate. German History, 24(3), 413-430.
Quick Steps to Finding Scholarly Articles: